The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21).
Volume XI. The Period of the French Revolution.
§ 26. Scot, Bateman, the Ballards
One of the chief of these Little Britain booksellers was Robert Scot, whom North describes as no mean scholar and a very conscientious good man. He was not only an expert bookseller, but was “in his time the greatest librarian in Europe; for, besides his stock in England, he had warehouses at Frankfort, Paris and other places.” Here, also, was the shop of Christopher Bateman, who dealt principally in old books, and from whom Swift purchased “for our Stella” three little volumes of Lucian in French. In some shops, it was the practice to allow customers to turn over the books and, for a small payment, to read any of them on the premises. Bateman, however, would have none of this, nor would he, it is said, suffer any person to look into any book in his shop, giving as a reason: